CONCENTRATED POVERTY IN
NEW YORK CITY
AN ANALYSIS OF THE CHANGING GEOGRAPHIC PATTERNS OF POVERTY
CITIZENS’ COMMITTEE FOR CHILDREN
APRIL 2012
The most recent recession has had a devastating impact on some of New York City’s most vulnerable
populations. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, since 2008 the number of people living below the
federal poverty level in New York City grew by more than 120,000, to over 1.6 million in 2010. Also in 2010,
one in three of the City’s children lived in poverty up from one in four just two years prior.
For many of New York City’s poor, the daily struggle to meet their basic needs is compounded by living in
overwhelmingly poor neighborhoods. In these neighborhoods of concentrated poverty, communal resources are
scarce and residents often face other significant obstacles to prosperity, such as a dearth of employment and
educational opportunities, high crime rates, and poor housing quality. To better understand the scale and impact of
this issue, Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York, Inc. (CCC) conducted an analysis of New York City
neighborhood-level poverty data. Our findings, detailed below, suggest that despite a decline in the number of
extreme-poverty neighborhoods and the share of people who live in them, concentrated poverty continues to be a
serious problem for many communities. 1
It is well-documented that for the residents of very poor neighborhoods, the burdens of individual poverty are
amplified. The obstacles they face may include high crime rates, poor health outcomes, reduced private
investments, limited educational and job opportunities, and poor housing conditions. 2 CCC recognizes the
cumulative effect of such risk factors on the lives of children in the “community risk rankings” found in our
Keeping Track of New York City’s Children publication. 3
DEFINITIONS
Extreme-poverty neighborhoods are defined as neighborhoods with more than 40 percent of the population
living below the federal poverty level and are measured geographically using the Census tract.
Concentrated poverty refers to the prevalence of poor people 4 living in “extreme-poverty” neighborhoods.
The concentrated poverty rate measures the share of poor people within a specified geographic area who live in
these extreme-poverty neighborhoods.
Citywide, concentrated poverty has declined in the past decade, but a large number of New Yorkers still
lives in extreme poverty. The share of poor people living in extreme poverty neighborhoods in New York City
declined from 25.9 percent in 2000 to 19.6 percent for the 2006 to 2010 period, a reduction of 24.1 percent. For
children, gains were not quite as great; the share of poor children in concentrated poverty areas dropped 20.9
percent, from 31.9 percent to 25.2 percent during the same time period. These declines in the concentrated
poverty rates may optimistically suggest that anti-poverty campaigns have had some successes in fighting poverty
in the City’s most vulnerable neighborhoods, but this conclusion should be cautiously drawn as the problems of
poverty and concentrated poverty do persist in New York City. Citywide, more than 298,000 poor people,
including about 124,000 poor children, live in extreme poverty neighborhoods. Overall, one in every ten children
in New York City lives in a neighborhood where the poverty rate exceeds 40 percent.
1
This analysis was modeled after a Brookings Institute policy brief: Elizabeth Kneebone, Carey Nadeau, and Alan Berube, The Re-Emergence of
Concentrated Poverty: Metropolitan Trends in the 2000s, The Brookings Institute: November 2011.
(https://www.brookings.edu/papers/2011/1103_poverty_kneebone_nadeau_berube.aspx)
2
See Kneebone et al, p. 2 for a fuller discussion of these and other obstacles related to concentrated poverty, as well as citations to scholarly literature.
3
See Citizens’ Committee for Children, Keeping Track of New York City’s Children, 2010, pp. 30-32 (or online at http://www.cccnewyork.org/aboutkt.html)
for more on Community District risk rankings.
4
The term “poor people” refers to individuals with incomes below the federal poverty level (FPL), as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. In 2010 the
average FPL for a family of four was $22,314. See http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/methods/definitions.html for more information on Census
poverty definitions and thresholds.
CONCENTRATED POVERTY IN NEW YORK CITY Concentrated poverty continues to be a serious problem for many New York City neighborhoods. While the
citywide concentrated poverty rate has declined, improvements have not been experienced consistently across the
City’s neighborhoods. Indeed, in eight communities, the concentrated poverty rates rose between 2000 and the
2006-2010 period by at least two percentage points. (See Figure 1.) For example, in Bedford Stuyvesant,
Brooklyn (labeled 303 on Figure 1), the concentrated poverty rate rose from 38.0 percent in 2000 to 43.2 percent
in 2006-2010. According to the most recent data, nearly one-third (29.0 percent) of Bedford Stuyvesant’s total
population lived in extreme poverty areas, where more than half of the residents earned less than the federal
Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York 2
CONCENTRATED POVERTY IN NEW YORK CITY poverty level (about $22,000 for a family of four in 2010). More than half (54.1 percent) of poor children and
42.2 percent of all children lived in these extreme poverty areas within this community.
Alternatively, for neighborhoods where the concentrated poverty rates have fallen, the most recent data are in
many cases even more troubling. For example, in the South Bronx neighborhoods of Mott Haven and Hunts
Point (labeled 201/202 on Figure 1), the concentrated poverty rate fell 4.4 percentage points between 2000 and
2006-2010, but that was from a starting point of 78.6 percent. Over two-thirds (67.3 percent) of all residents and
almost three-quarters (72.5 percent) of all children in these communities lived in areas of extreme poverty in
2006-2010.
In fact, while most communities in the Bronx saw their concentrated poverty rates decline between 2000 and
2006-2010, many still struggle with concentrated poverty rates of greater than 45 percent. (See Figure 2 and
Appendix A for concentrated poverty rates for children and adults by neighborhood.) Nearly a quarter (24.1
percent) of the Bronx’s over 1.3 million residents lived in extreme poverty areas in 2006-2010; those 320,000
people represent over half of all City residents living in extreme poverty neighborhoods.
Concentrated poverty disproportionately impacts Black and Latino communities. As is the case with poverty
in New York City, concentrated poverty is more prevalent in communities with majority Black and Latino
populations. Of the seven community districts with concentrated poverty rates of greater than 50 percent, all but
one (Williamsburg/Greenpoint) have majority Black or Latino populations. One-third (33.0 percent) of all poor
people living in extreme poverty neighborhoods are Black and about one half (49.9 percent) are Latino.
Meanwhile, Blacks and Latinos make up just over one-fifth and just under one-third of the general population
respectively. (See Figure 3.)
Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York 3
CONCENTRATED POVERTY IN NEW YORK CITY The full impact of the most recent recession on the City’s concentrated poverty remains to be seen.
Limitations in the data used for this analysis may result in understating the prevalence of concentrated poverty in
New York City. The most recent data available at the Census tract level reports an average of five years (20062010) of survey responses about household income. This time period included years of both economic boon and
recession. Since New York City’s poverty rate continued to decline through 2008, when it hit a low of 18.2
percent (26.5 percent for children) before rising again to near-2000 levels, it is likely that the five-year averages
do not fully reflect the impact of the recession, particularly in neighborhoods that have been hardest hit, such as
many in the South Bronx and Central Brooklyn. 5
This report was prepared by Courtney Wolf, Policy Associate for Research and Data Analysis.
5
For a detailed discussion of the limitations of the five-year data in this context, see Kneebone et al, p. 4.
Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York 4
Appendix A: Poverty & Concentrated Poverty: New York City, by Borough, and by Community District
Poverty Rate
Poverty, 2010
# of Poor Child People
Poverty Rate
Concentrated Poverty Rates
# of Poor Children
2000
2006‐2010
Children in Concentrated Poverty, 2006‐2010
All Children
Poor Children
#
Share
#
Share
New York City
20.1%
1,621,327
30.0%
522,955
25.9%
19.6%
208,570
11.9%
124,376
25.2%
Manhattan
101/102 Battery Park/Tribeca/Greenwich Village
103
Lower East Side
104/105 Chelsea/Clinton/Midtown
106
Murray Hill/Stuyvesant
107
Upper West Side
108
Uepper East Side
109
Manhattanville
110
Central Harlem
111
East Harlem
112
Washington Heighhts
16.4%
9.9%
22.2%
11.7%
7.0%
10.4%
6.8%
28.7%
28.1%
30.8%
19.5%
254,289
14,107
34,766
15,338
10,049
20,430
14,637
35,636
35,192
34,595
39,539
22.1%
7.5%
30.9%
14.7%
7.1%
6.5%
2.4%
38.5%
35.8%
44.2%
26.5%
51,039
1,178
6,929
1,526
988
2,033
729
8,871
9,006
10,239
9,540
19.7%
‐
16.2%
4.6%
5.0%
‐
‐
5.2%
41.6%
58.7%
12.1%
11.3%
‐
15.2%
3.0%
‐
‐
‐
12.8%
28.5%
24.9%
1.4%
16,157
‐
3,159
‐
‐
‐
‐
2,184
6,443
4,075
296
6.8%
‐
13.8%
‐
‐
‐
‐
10.5%
23.5%
14.1%
0.7%
9,610
‐
1,955
‐
‐
‐
‐
1,387
3,917
2,211
140
15.4%
‐
23.4%
‐
‐
‐
‐
17.3%
39.1%
18.0%
0.9%
Bronx
201/202
203/206
204
205
207
208
209
210
211
212
Mott Haven/Hunts Point
Morrisania/East Tremont
Concourse/Highbridge
University Heights
Fordham
Riverdale
Unionport/Soundview
Throgs Neck
Pelham Parkway
Williamsbridge
30.2%
41.1%
43.5%
35.0%
40.0%
32.7%
18.5%
25.4%
16.4%
21.1%
21.2%
408,584
58,624
67,963
50,740
53,621
39,950
19,264
46,261
17,557
25,553
29,051
43.0%
54.1%
58.6%
46.4%
52.5%
41.4%
28.5%
33.1%
37.4%
29.3%
31.0%
155,620
23,117
29,121
18,943
21,395
13,861
5,893
15,571
7,549
8,445
11,725
51.4%
78.6%
84.8%
67.0%
60.7%
26.6%
10.9%
40.3%
‐
0.2%
14.5%
39.5%
74.2%
65.3%
45.8%
55.6%
28.1%
‐
8.7%
‐
‐
0.2%
103,994
30,222
27,520
16,176
19,845
7,890
‐
2,323
‐
‐
18
28.5%
68.6%
58.2%
40.9%
48.7%
22.8%
‐
4.9%
‐
‐
‐
61,663
17,845
16,650
9,451
11,871
4,298
‐
1,530
‐
‐
18
42.0%
72.5%
66.2%
49.7%
57.7%
28.6%
‐
9.7%
‐
‐
0.2%
Brooklyn
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
Williamsburg/Greenpoint
Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights
Bedford Stuyvesant
Bushwick
East New York
Park Slope
Sunset Park
Crown Heights North
Crown Heights South
Bat Ridge
Bensonhurst
Borough Park
Coney Island
Flatbush/Midwood
Sheepshead Bay
Brownsville
East Flatbush
Canarsie
23.0%
26.5%
18.1%
30.7%
28.5%
36.0%
11.3%
26.7%
25.9%
25.6%
15.3%
14.0%
32.2%
28.0%
22.4%
13.7%
39.8%
15.4%
11.4%
571,936
38,744
22,024
40,795
39,782
52,475
13,398
36,862
30,383
27,015
21,051
22,838
54,099
28,735
36,246
18,319
44,756
21,316
23,098
34.0%
40.9%
22.8%
47.0%
42.0%
49.1%
13.3%
33.4%
42.5%
36.7%
22.6%
20.1%
44.7%
39.4%
31.8%
19.0%
53.4%
20.6%
16.1%
198,536
13,217
4,611
16,204
14,084
20,739
3,311
10,167
10,590
9,013
6,436
6,290
25,756
8,140
13,039
4,515
17,903
6,860
7,661
25.2%
56.8%
31.2%
38.0%
37.7%
26.5%
26.2%
‐
21.0%
‐
‐
‐
19.6%
43.0%
‐
9.8%
67.6%
‐
13.9%
20.5%
54.3%
16.5%
43.2%
16.7%
24.4%
30.6%
4.5%
13.4%
3.1%
‐
‐
19.0%
2.2%
3.0%
12.2%
54.1%
‐
17.3%
82,918
19,919
2,164
15,721
4,518
7,266
2,539
1,279
3,104
‐
‐
‐
7,649
50
467
1,322
14,651
‐
2,269
14.1%
58.7%
11.2%
42.2%
13.1%
16.7%
12.3%
3.8%
11.3%
‐
‐
‐
13.8%
0.3%
1.2%
4.8%
42.9%
‐
4.5%
49,511
12,076
1,402
9,981
2,542
4,314
1,371
792
1,670
‐
‐
‐
4,415
50
239
741
8,569
‐
1,349
26.5%
74.8%
27.0%
54.1%
17.5%
25.2%
50.0%
7.2%
17.1%
‐
‐
‐
20.4%
0.9%
2.1%
15.6%
53.5%
‐
19.7%
Appendix A: Poverty & Concentrated Poverty: New York City, by Borough, and by Community District (Cont'd)
Poverty Rate
Queens
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
Astoria/Long Island City
Sunnyside/Woodside
Jackson Heights
Elmhurst/Corona
Ridgewood/Glendale
Rego Park/Forest Hills
Flushing
Fresh Meadows/Briarwood
Woodhaven
Howard Beach
Bayside
Jamaica/St. Albans
Queens Village
The Rockaways
Staten Island
501
Willowbrook
502
South Beach
503
Tottenville
Poverty, 2010
# of Poor Child People
Poverty Rate
Concentrated Poverty Rates
# of Poor Children
2000
2006‐2010
Children in Concentrated Poverty, 2006‐2010
All Children
Poor Children
#
Share
#
Share
15.0%
19.0%
12.2%
22.4%
19.2%
17.1%
9.7%
14.3%
13.7%
13.1%
11.6%
7.3%
18.8%
7.1%
22.4%
332,165
31,618
15,093
37,935
25,920
30,888
11,049
36,302
18,566
17,662
15,635
8,693
41,273
14,557
26,974
21.8%
30.2%
18.5%
34.1%
26.3%
26.5%
12.3%
14.5%
18.7%
19.7%
18.1%
8.2%
28.2%
8.8%
33.4%
99,291
8,477
3,775
12,581
7,175
11,054
2,607
6,337
5,271
5,787
4,975
1,941
14,342
3,679
11,290
3.7%
18.9%
‐
‐
‐
‐
‐
‐
‐
‐
‐
0.2%
2.0%
‐
16.5%
2.5%
6.9%
‐
‐
‐
2.6%
‐
‐
‐
‐
‐
‐
‐
‐
20.3%
4,982
1,030
‐
‐
‐
331
‐
‐
‐
‐
‐
‐
‐
‐
3,621
1.1%
3.7%
‐
‐
‐
0.9%
‐
‐
‐
‐
‐
‐
‐
‐
12.1%
3,277
758
‐
‐
‐
187
‐
‐
‐
‐
‐
‐
‐
‐
2,332
4.0%
10.1%
‐
‐
‐
2.9%
‐
‐
‐
‐
‐
‐
‐
‐
27.6%
11.8%
17.9%
9.7%
7.0%
54,353
30,277
12,643
11,433
17.1%
26.2%
12.6%
10.2%
18,469
11,112
3,426
3,931
9.0%
15.5%
0.7%
‐
1.7%
2.8%
‐
‐
519
519
‐
‐
0.5%
1.2%
‐
‐
315
315
‐
‐
2.0%
3.1%
‐
‐
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Decennial Census Summary File 3, 2000; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5‐year Estimates, 2010; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1‐Year Estimates, 2010; Citizens' Committee for Children analysis, 2012.
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